The Culture Yard

From shipyard to cultural flagship

Location

Elsinore, Denmark

Developer

Elsinore Municipality

Size

13,000 m2

Acquisition

Winning proposal in open international architecture competition in 2007

Status

Completed in 2010

Architect

AART

Landscape

Jeppe Aagaard Andersen

Engineer

Søren Jensen

Awards

The Structural Award
Tyndpladegruppens Arkitekturpris
The International Property Award

With more than 700,000 visitors a year, The Culture Yard is a popular success. Not only has it revitalised Elsinore’s waterfront, it has also created new possibilities for the development of Elsinore as a modern city of culture.

As the focal point for Kulturhavn Kronborg, The Culture Yard has created a new gathering place for locals and visitors and put Elsinore on the cultural map of the world, hailed by the New York Times as one of the world’s most noteworthy places to visit. It is among Denmark’s most popular cultural centres and has attracted major cultural events such as the Crown Prince Couple’s Awards and the world’s largest design award, Index Award. Additionally, it houses one of Denmark’s most used libraries, one of only two in Europe that has been awarded the designation “exceptional” - the most prestigious rating and recommendation by Library Rating Europe.

From Industrial Heritage to Cultural Life: The Culture Yard Before and After Its Transformation.

Things have really been going in the right direction. The strategy has been to make people stop only thinking about Copenhagen and also consider us in their travel plans. Now people know we’re here.

Michael Foch / Manager of the Culture Yard

69 001 Kulturvaerftet udsnit reception 01 1

Offers a wealth of cultural experiences

All this was made possible by transforming the city’s historical shipyard into a cultural centre with a café, library, exhibition space, concert halls and much more besides. On the shoulders of the past, it paves the way for the evolution of Elsinore from industrial city to cultural city – in the heart of what is perhaps Denmark’s most historical harbour with a view of Hamlet’s Kronborg Castle and the Øresund strait. The Culture Yard unites the historic spirit of the port’s shipyard with modern cultural experiences, so visitors sense the presence of history in the encounter between past and present.

After its thorough conversion, the crystalline, sail-inspired façade of glass and light-gauge sheets brilliantly express a distinctive, modern identity that interacts with the historical harbour area.

Lars Nørskov Pedersen / Chairman of Tyndpladegruppen

An iconic and welcoming appearance

With a new glass arcade, The Culture Yard appears as an iconic, welcoming cultural centre where the arcade envelops the old shipyard buildings and linking together the diverse range of cultural experiences. With its sail-inspired crystalline shapes, the arcade lends a modern edge and character to The Culture Yard while also reflecting the appearance of the historical harbour. The varied shapes constantly offer new opportunities to take in the view of Kronborg Castle and the Sound from different perspectives, thereby becoming the building’s visual and historical focus point. To the south, the arcade is covered with perforated light-gauge sheets to create a cultural centre adapted to the local climate.